The invention relates to a transporting device with which particularly, but not exclusively, retail trade products in the food sector can be transported on the premises of the manufacturer and the retail trader.
It is known to package such products wrapped in cling film in boxes or on boards and to place them on pallets, whereafter they can be placed in a truck using a fork-lift truck. At the premises of the retail trader the pallets are again removed from the truck with fork-lift trucks. The packaged articles can then be removed from the packaging and placed in racks on the retail premises so that customers can take them from the racks when they make their purchases.
The articles packed on boards are often also placed in packed state in the store, whereafter the customers take the articles out of the packaging or take away whole packages at a time.
The invention has for its object to have the transport from the manufacturer to the final customer take place more efficiently and therefore with cost-saving.
This objective is achieved with the transporting device as characterized in claim 1. On the premises of the manufacturer the articles can be placed on the carriers so that a quantity of articles can be displaced simply using the carrier. A number of carriers with the articles in question can be placed on a pallet and be transported as a whole to a truck with a fork-lift truck in a manner usual for pallets and be unloaded again at the place of destination. The carriers can then be set down directly in the store, separately or in small numbers, without further transfer of the articles being necessary. Due to the upward protruding supports of each pallet the carrying base of the carriers, and therefore the whole carrier with the articles thereon, is well supported so that the assembly of pallet, carriers and packed articles forms a stable, easily transportable whole.
The measure of claim 2 is preferably applied. It is hereby possible to also displace the separate carriers using a fork-lift truck. The fork-lift truck can for instance simultaneously remove a number of the carriers from the pallet and set these down again at a suitable location.
In accordance with a very advantageous further development of the invention, the measure of claim 3 is applied. The displacing means can engage vertically through the recess of the pallet onto the carriers, and in particular the carrying bases thereof, in order to raise them clear of the pallet for further transport, e.g. to a conveyor belt or into transport rails in a truck.
When the measure of claim 4 is applied the carriers can be lifted up under the feet and then for instance pushed off the pallet on their own feet. When the feet are formed by wheels, the carriers can be rolled off in favourable manner.
When according to a preferred embodiment the supports are provided with centring edges adjacently of the supporting surface, the position of the carriers relative to the pallet can be determined easily during placing of the carriers, which enhances rapid operation with the transporting device according to the invention. In addition, the centring edges prevent the carriers shifting over the supports during transport.
Applying the measure of claim 6 herein achieves that the carriers find more or less automatically the correct position on the pallet when they are lowered thereon. A good positioning is also enhanced with the measure of claim 7. The feet of the carriers can slide along the sloping side surfaces and contribute toward positioning of the carrier, while when the feet of the carrier are swivel casters these are moreover rotated into a predetermined position.
A good stackability of the pallets can herein be achieved with the measure according to claim 7.
A suitable further development is characterized in claim 8. In this case the parts of the displacing means are for instance blocks which, at the position of the feet of the carriers disposed on the pallet, are arranged in the pallet for limited displacement By pressing these pallets upward from below the carriers are lifted up under their feet and can subsequently be pushed on their own feet off the pallet over the blocks and the adjacent parts of the pallet or, if the feet are wheels, they can be rolled off the pallet.
The measure of claim 10 is preferably applied. This ensures that the carriers cannot move off the pallet, for instance during transport over rough terrain.
Applying the measure of claim 11 achieves that the cargo covers the whole surface defined by the pallet, so that when a number of pallets are placed mutually adjacently a minimum space is occupied, this being particularly important in the case of transport by truck.
When the base of the carrier is provided with a closed strip extending between the feet, the displacing means can engage on this strip and thereby displace the carrier. in this case the displacing means can for instance comprise a conveyor belt which engages under the carrier and displaces it in self-propelled manner on its feet in the form of wheels. Displacing means optionally engaging through recesses in the pallet also find a suitable grip on this closed strip.
Where it is the intention to dispose a pallet with carriers and load placed thereon as a whole in a retail area, the measure of claim 13 is preferably applied. The concealing strips hide the pallet and the carriers from view so that an attractive, evenly finished appearance of the whole is achieved. The concealing strips can be provided in appropriate manner with printed advertising, for instance relating to the products carried by the carriers.
According to a further development of the transporting device according to the invention the measure of claim 14 is applied. The pallet can acquire a determined shape and/or size as required, thus enabling a very efficient use of available space and means.